Tuesday, October 20, 2015

There is currently discontent within the Icelandic Police
force regarding low wages and the State’s apparent refusal to negotiate. Police
in Iceland have called in sick en masse in what is thought to be the second
unofficial strike over pay this month. A week after some police stations had to
close because of the number of absences, Icelanders were warned again on Friday
that forces had depleted numbers due to "illness". As in many
countries, Iceland's police have no legal right to strike, and the government
has warned that it will take "appropriate legal action" against
officers found to be breaking the law.

Snorri Magnússon, Head of the National Police Federation of
Iceland, denies any organised efforts for such action on the part of the
Federation, saying that “we cannot answer for the actions of individual
members”.

Reykjavik's police force said "many" officers were
not at work. The action coincided with a 48-hour strike by more than 3,500
civil servants, who are also protesting over pay. On Thursday, about 300
officers - almost half of the country's police force - joined other public
sector workers on a march to parliament.